Services

Community Planning

Community Planning and Zoning services continue to be a strong demand of Spicer Group. We understand that every community is different, thus the planning and zoning services we provide are representative of each individual community. Our Community Planning Department is made of highly-educated planners who are also engaged with current planning and zoning trends and practices and are involved with the American Planning Association (APA) and the Michigan Association of Planning (MAP). They keep up-to-date through various training and certification requirements, and also do their part to be leaders in the planning profession by contributing and sharing our ideas in publications and at conferences. They have exceptional writing abilities, and every member on the team relies on each other for helpful reviews, critiques, edits, and suggestions. Maximizing communities development potential through performing site visits, reviewing applications, providing recommendations on zoning appeals, addressing land-use matters, and developing zoning ordinance and master plans is their profession—the enjoyment they get out of working with communities on a one-on-one basis is what makes them unique.

Marlette Master Plan

Spicer Group was re-hired to update the Master Plan for the City of Marlette after writing their original Master Plan in 2003. In the beginning stages of development, Spicer Group met with the steering committee and gathered existing information about Marlette including limited information on adjacent municipalities. Information gathered included; water and sewer infrastructure, recreation, vegetation, natural features, existing and future land use in surrounding communities, and new commercial and residential development within the past five years. An existing land use study of the City was conducted through the use of aerial photography, the existing Master Plan, and a driving survey. This information was analyzed and used to identify such items as trends in population, projected growth, income, employment, infrastructure capacity, suitable areas for development, and projected population age.

Spicer Group involved the local community by sending out surveys to spark responses on what direction residents felt Marlette should grow. Residents were invited to attend public meetings detailing the Master Plan. Local experts such as the Lions Club, Rotary, and Chamber of Commerce were invited to speak at the meetings to encourage public participation. All information gathered from community participation and the steering committee was used to prepare measurable goals and objectives for the City. Spicer Group provided recommendations in terms of funding and implementation of these goals. In addition, a future land use plan map was prepared to detail the analysis of proposed land use changes, acreage, and density.

Davison Master Plan

In the beginning stages of developing Davison’s Master Plan, Spicer Group met with the Planning Commission and updated them on the current status of the City using Census 2010 data and comparing those statistics with other communities in Genesee County. This helped City leaders better understand the direction of the City and guided them on what steps they should take in order to have a relevant Master Plan that could also be used as a tool for economic development.

The Davison Master plan began in early 2013, and during the development of the plan, information about water and sewer infrastructure, recreation, vegetation, natural features, and other community assets was gathered. An existing land use study of the City was also conducted through the use of aerial photography, the existing Master Plan, and a driving survey. This information was analyzed and utilized to identify such items as infrastructure capacity, re-use of certain downtown properties, development patterns along M-15, and strategic areas for new economic development. The community has been involved through an online survey. The feedback from this survey was used as the basis for new goals and objectives, including a new community vision reflected in its future land use map.

Dundee Master Plan

The Dundee Master Plan addresses current land use challenges and describes a future vision to promote the sustainable development of the Village for the next 20 years. The Village of Dundee is located in Monroe County and is situated at the junction of US-23 and M-50, with the River Raisin cutting through the Village’s historic center. Dundee’s population grew by 12% between 2000 and 2010, now up to 3,957 people.

Despite this growth, one of the biggest challenges currently facing Dundee is that following the recent housing boom and bust, the Village has been left with a number of housing projects that remain unfinished. To address this issue and other Village concerns, public participation was a vital component to the planning process. Dundee’s citizens were engaged on two fronts through a social media campaign using Facebook, Twitter, an interactive blog to solicit online input, and at an open house input session where everyone in the Village was invited to review community information and to share their ideas for Dundee’s future. Taken together, this input is making the Dundee Master Plan a collaborative effort between Village leaders and citizens to which dialogue regarding place making and other strategies that strengthen the area’s natural assets is being incorporated into the plan.

Port Sanilac Master Plan

Port Sanilac, a historic waterfront village located on Lake Huron, began updating their Master Plan in the summer of 2010. Working with the Planning Commission, Spicer Group assisted with the development of detailed demographic analyses and began planning ways to encourage community participation.

A community input survey composed of 25 questions pertaining to land use and place making was mailed in October 2010 to 500 addresses in Port Sanilac. Most respondents viewed new development in Port Sanilac as favorable and necessary, but it was clear that there was a strong need for additional commercial services in the Village as well. Respondents viewed the Lake Huron shoreline as a key community asset that needs to be developed for public and recreational purposes and to increase the tourism industry.

After meeting with the Planning Commission six times throughout the year, Spicer Group delivered a draft of a new Master Plan for Port Sanilac. In addition to solidifying a vision for future uses of land in the Village, the plan identified ten new goals and an implementation strategy that focused on the Lake Huron shoreline. This new strategic vision makes place making a priority, meaning that the broader Port Sanilac community will focus on the economic potential of its waterfront by linking it to future community investments.

AuSable Township Recreation Plan and Master Plan

Spicer Group worked with AuSable Township on updating both their Recreation Plan and Master Plan. The township’s existing Recreation Plan was developed in 2006 and expired in 2010. Requirements for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) have since changed and an update is necessary to qualify for any grant funded projects. The Master Plan was completed in 2003 and adopted in 2004. The demographic information is outdated, new community input is needed and the goals and future land use map needed updating.

The Recreation Plan will have an updated detailed inventory of the Township’s natural resources in order to identify unique recreational opportunities for residents and tourists. Work will also include developing a community description, an administrative structure description, a recreation inventory that includes all the Township parks and amenities they offer, garner public input, and write a five-year action program for the Township with the assistance of Township staff. A five-year implementation plan will also be included.

Along with the Recreation Plan, Spicer Group is working with the Township and Planning Commission to update AuSable Township’s Master Plan. This includes meeting with Township stakeholders, reviewing community characteristics, developing and deploying an online input survey for residents, discussing and finalizing community goals, and developing the final plan and documents for adoption.

City of Dearborn Recreation Master Plans

2005-2010 & 2010-2015

Spicer Group was hired by the City of Dearborn to develop a new Recreation Master Plan that would assist the City, with focus on aiding the Recreation Department in identifying the growing recreation and cultural needs within the community. As part of the plan, Spicer Group met with school administrators, community recreation providers and recreation stakeholders one-on-one and looked at different ways to implement cost sharing and recreation amenities sharing. The plan highlighted the outdoor recreation opportunities while building on the community’s rich and diverse cultures. The plan assisted Dearborn in identifying its long-range goals and needs, it also qualified the community for recreation grants that were administered through the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Grants Management Section. This plan includes a community description, an overview of the administrative structure of the recreation department, an inventory of existing recreational facilities, a needs assessment and analysis, and recommended goals, guidelines, and capital improvements (projects to be funded) for the next five years.

Grant Writing

Spicer Group understands with today’s economic climate, municipalities sometimes cannot afford to pay for a project entirely on their own. We have focused efforts to identify grant funding opportunities and capture as many funds as possible to make these ambitions a reality.

Proof of our talented staff’s hard work in attaining grant funding for our clients is evident in the nearly $20 million that we have helped communities acquire in recent years. These grant funds have helped our clients implement all types of projects including new recreation projects, new streetscapes, new recreation pathways, new parks, new water and sanitary sewer systems and new park land.

Spicer Group has designed and administered many of these projects that were funded by the MDNR through the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and the Recreation Passport Fund. Spicer understands the grant process and procedures very well. We know the grant administration staff and they know us.

Below is a list of MDNR grants we assisted in acquiring that have been awarded since 2011, totaling more than $5,225,000:

Mt. Pleasant Master Plan

The City of Mt. Pleasant required a focused update to its Master Plan, which was last adopted in 2006. The updated Master Plan was started in late 2012 and was developed by Spicer Group to incorporate a number of key features. New population, housing, and employment data from the 2010 Census, including comparative analyses, was provided as part of the Community Information section.

A redevelopment plan for Mission Street was included and appropriately integrated into the Goals & Implementation section. Other major updates included the development of priorities for the Downtown area, a new land use vision for the Mt. Pleasant Center property, and new goals and action items that address non-motorized transportation in the City.

Along the way, significant input from the community has been gathered and shared with the Planning Commission and City leaders. The diversity of Mt. Pleasant – inclusive of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, Central Michigan University, and other groups – necessitated an innovative public input process that incorporated various outreach methods. Efforts included an online survey, a social media campaign, a City-wide open house, and individualized “Meeting in a Box” input sessions with 10 of the City’s community organizations and agencies.